On Mon, 13 May 2002, Richard Geller wrote:

> Sigh.  If the lectins in hard beans are so harmful, why are they so helpful?
>
> ----------------------------------------
>
> I don't know. I am react quite badly to beans. I have found I do not
> tolerate even lentils except in very small quantities.
>
> I never believe these sort of articles though. If you looked at the study
> I'm sure you'd find it full of holes.

I'm not so sure.  Even Audette notes, on p. 57 of Neanderthin,
that "Almost no evidence exists that eating cooked beans will
harm humans (except perhaps socially because of flatulence).
Beans tend to have very low glycemic index.

I think the problem here is the idea that beans/legumes must all
be either accepted or rejected as a group.  Another problem is
the idea that paleolithic humans could not have eaten beans at
all.  Some beans, like some other foods, are quite edible raw in
the immature state, but not after, e.g., "snap" beans, snow peas,
etc.  I can think of no good reason to conclude that paleo people
did not eat these when they were available.  And the fact that
they would have been only seasonally available is no objection,
since the same is true of vast numbers of other plant foods.  The
fact that some legumes, such as lentils, can be made edible
simply by soaking and rinsing, also puts them within reach of
paleolithic technology.

I don't think we have a satisfactory picture of the role that
some legumes might have played in paleolithic diets.

Todd Moody
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